{"id":42460,"date":"2018-02-06T18:54:53","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T18:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:34:39","slug":"mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2015 There is no such thing as a \u201ctactical\u201d nuclear weapon, despite the introduction of two so-called tactical options in the recently released <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/02\/02\/nuclear-posture-review-puts-russia-firmly-in-crosshairs\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Nuclear Posture Review<\/a>, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congress on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t think there is any such thing as a \u2018tactical nuclear weapon.\u2019 Any nuclear weapon used any time is a strategic game-changer,\u201d Mattis told members of the House Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Nuclear Posture Review, formally released Feb. 2, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/02\/02\/the-us-could-be-getting-2-new-nuclear-capabilities-here-are-the-details\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">called for creating<\/a> a low-yield nuclear warhead for America\u2019s sea-launched ballistic missiles, as well as the development of a new sea-launched nuclear cruise missile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials rolling out the document said these weapons are needed to counter what the NPR directly refers to as Russia\u2019s \u201ctactical nuclear weapons.\u201d Those weapons, which Russia is building out at a high rate, are described by the Pentagon as the backbone of Moscow\u2019s controversial \u201cescalate to de-escalate\u201d strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under that concept, if fighting broke out between NATO forces and Russia, Moscow would move quickly to use a tactical nuclear weapon. The assumption would be that the U.S., armed only with large, world-ending strategic weapons, would be unable to retaliate appropriately and essentially stand down in the face of Russian aggression. Hence, the need for smaller nuclear weapons which could match Russia if need be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Mattis may be against the idea that using a low-yield nuclear warhead in combat does not escalate things to a strategic level, he still threw support behind the reasoning for building out the two new U.S. capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe don\u2019t want someone else to miscalculate and think that because they are going to use a low-yield weapon, somehow we would confront what [former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger] calls \u2018surrender or suicide,\u2019\u201d Mattis said during the hearing. \u201cWe do not want even an inch of daylight to appear in how we look at the nuclear deterrent. It is a nuclear deterrent, and must be considered credible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throwing his support behind a new nuclear cruise missile is something of an about-face for Mattis, who expressed doubts about supporting the Air Force\u2019s new cruise missile during his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2017\/01\/12\/mattis-enthusiastic-on-icbms-tepid-on-nuclear-cruise-missile\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">January 2017<\/a> confirmation hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The secretary acknowledged he came in with strong thoughts about that weapon, but said realities around the world have convinced him both it, and a new sea-based variant, are necessary for America\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI came in wanting to challenge just about everything. I wanted it to be proven to me that we needed to spend every cent,\u201d Mattis said, saying he was concerned the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2017\/08\/23\/lockheed-raytheon-nab-contracts-for-nuclear-cruise-missile\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">air launched cruise missile<\/a> could be \u201cdestabilizing.\u201d That is a term common among nonproliferation advocates \u2014 as well as Clinton-era Secretary of Defense William Perry \u2014 who fear an enemy nation cannot tell the difference between an incoming nuclear cruise missile and one armed with a conventional payload and would be forced to choose a nuclear response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But after studying the issue, Mattis zeroed in on the number of nuclear cruise missiles Russia is developing, and concluded that \u201cclearly Russia does not consider that destabilizing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs I put together how I can keep us in a position where this is a nuclear deterrent, it has to have the capability to be the most persuasive deterrent in the eye of the enemy,\u201d Mattis said. \u201cAnd that was the journey I embarked on, and it was a little rough on the staff and those who came in promoting it at first, but I think they were compelling by the time they were done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mattis added he believes the ICBM is a \u201cstabilizing element\u201d for the world, something reflected in the NPR\u2019s full support for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent replacement for the existing Minuteman III ICBM arsenal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When is a nuclear weapon tactical, and when is it strategic? It&#8217;s pretty cut and dry for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":35453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":125,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"}}},"categories":[160,163,36,125,19,23,30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3378],"class_list":["post-42460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-military-space-report","category-newsletters","category-nuclear-triad","category-pentagon","category-space","category-smr"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"E2ZVUCRLEBFF7OOBKSYLKDDHTE","arc_canonical_url":"\/space\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When is a nuclear weapon tactical, and when is it strategic? It&#039;s pretty cut and dry for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When is a nuclear weapon tactical, and when is it strategic? It&#039;s pretty cut and dry for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-06T18:54:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:34:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aaron Mehta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Aaron Mehta\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-06T18:54:53+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:34:39+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 633,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Military Space Report\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Nuclear Triad\",\n\t                \"Pentagon\",\n\t                \"Space\",\n\t                \"Special Multimedia Reports\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-06T18:54:53+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:34:39+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"When is a nuclear weapon tactical, and when is it strategic? It's pretty cut and dry for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/06\\\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Special Multimedia Reports\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"smr\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Nuclear Triad\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"nuclear-triad\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed - Defense News","description":"When is a nuclear weapon tactical, and when is it strategic? It's pretty cut and dry for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed","og_description":"When is a nuclear weapon tactical, and when is it strategic? It's pretty cut and dry for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2018-02-06T18:54:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T23:34:39+00:00","author":"Aaron Mehta","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Aaron Mehta","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed","datePublished":"2018-02-06T18:54:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:34:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/"},"wordCount":633,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Military Space Report","Newsletters","Nuclear Triad","Pentagon","Space","Special Multimedia Reports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/","name":"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-02-06T18:54:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:34:39+00:00","description":"When is a nuclear weapon tactical, and when is it strategic? It's pretty cut and dry for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Special Multimedia Reports","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/","ad_zone":"smr"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Nuclear Triad","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/","ad_zone":"nuclear-triad"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Mattis: No such thing as a \u2018tactical\u2019 nuclear weapon, but new cruise missile needed"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42474,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42460\/revisions\/42474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42460"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=42460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}